Isabelle Huppert, Denis Lavant & David Cronenberg To Star In Luca Guadagnino's Adaptation Of Don DeLillo's 'The Body Artist'

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by Oliver Lyttelton
January 29, 2013 10:28 AM
3 Comments

Two of the most-talked about films of last year were united by one thing; both David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis" and Leos Carax's "Holy Motors" were set over a single day, and starred a protagonist being driven around a city in a limousine. But what if key participants in both were united in one single project? Surely limo-loving, arthouse-inclined movie fans would be dancing in the street if that were to be the case?

Well, get your dancing shoes on, because we're about to see a collaboration that's basically the Cannes Film Festival version of the Traveling Wilburys. According to Variety, "Cosmopolis" author Don DeLillo's novel "The Body Artist" is heading to the big screen (slightly retitled "Body Art"), with "I Am Love" helmer Luca Guadagnino writing and directing, and "Cosmopolis" producer Paolo Branco shepherding it. And a diverse and fascinating cast has been assembled, with the legendary Isabelle Huppert in the lead role, alongside "Holy Motors" lead Denis Lavant and, yes, "Cosmopolis" director David Cronenberg in a rare acting appearance.

DeLillo's 2001 novel follows performance artist Lauren Hartke (Huppert) grieving after the suicide of her film director husband (Cronenberg, perhaps?), who becomes increasingly alienated until she discovers a mysterious man (Lavant?) in her house. Guadagnino firmly arrived on the international scene with "I Am Love" a few years back, but has yet to follow it up, though he's had a number of projects on his slate, including "A Bigger Splash," a remake of the 1969 film "La Piscine," and an adaptation of James Ellroy's "The Big Nowhere." It looks like this will be first, though; the film is being shopped at the Berlin Film Festival, and is hoping to shoot in the summer. Cannes 2014, perhaps?

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More: Luca Guadagnino, David Cronenberg, Isabelle Huppert, Denis Lavant, Body Art

3 Comments

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Nicholas Bell | January 29, 2013 12:31 PMReply

Sigourney Weaver is also involved in this project.
DG | January 29, 2013 12:11 PMReply

Im not saying anything against this movie per se but The Body Artist is the only Delilo I've read that I didn't like. It pretty much felt like a collection of notes for a novel rather than an actual novel.
Tyrannosaurus Max | January 29, 2013 12:04 PMReply

"we're about to see a collaboration that's basically the Cannes Film Festival version of the Traveling Wilburys."

It's stuff like this that keeps me reading the Playlist.